• 

  AJ Styles

  Birthdate:

  Queens, New York City:

  Jacksonville, North Carolina, USA

  Birthname:

  Allen Neal Jones

  Height:

  5 feet 11 inches

  Weight:

  218 lbs

  Debut:

  1999-02-15

  Championships Held:

  WWE Championship (x2), Intercontinental Championship, United States Championship (x3), Raw Tag Team Championship, TNA World Heavyweight Championship (x2), NWA World Heavyweight Championship (x3), TNA Legends Championship (x2), TNA World Tag Team Championship (x2), NWA World Tag Team Championship (x4), IWGP Heavyweight Championship (x2)

  Finisher:

  Styles Clash, Phenomenal Forearm

  Twitter:

  https://twitter.com/AJStylesOrg

  Notable Allies:

  Christian, Finn Balor

  Notable Rivals:

  Shinsuke Nakamura, John Cena, kurt angle

  Current Promotion:

  WWE

  Instagram:

  https://www.instagram.com/ajstylesp1/

  Eye Color:

  Blue

  Hair Color:

  Brown

2024 has been a notable year for WWE in many ways, with business booming, controversy concerning lawsuits, and the continued change in regime. One of the biggest talking points of 2024 has been the rise of several big stars, carrying on WWE’s good form from 2023. Most fans would point towards the likes of Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan, Gunther, and Drew McIntyre as the stars in 2024 who have had the biggest impact, but one man has gone under the radar in terms of his importance to WWE, and that is AJ Styles. Thus far, in 2024, AJ Styles has been the foundation of Friday Night SmackDown.

AJ Styles Returned To WWE With A Vengeance In 2024

The Phenomenal One Was Stale Before His Comeback

• AJ Styles returned to WWE with a muscular look.
• Royal Rumble saw Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, LA Knight, and AJ Styles compete for the WWE Championship.
• AJ Styles went three years without a PLE win.

At the start of 2024, AJ Styles returned to WWE with a new chiseled physique, a grittier and more seasoned style, and a new attitude which was different from the bland babyface he was playing previously. He was immediately entered into the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship scene, getting his first world title shot on PPV for years as he took on Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, and LA Knight at the Royal Rumble, in what turned out to be a fun feud in the lead up.

Prior to 2024, AJ Styles had been stuck in limbo. Ever since 2021, Styles has floundered. His tag team run with Omos was ultimately a failure, with it helping neither of them in the long run. He moved on to a feud with Edge that underwhelmed severely, as the early days of the Judgment Day were ones to forget, and then he got injured, spending months away from TV. A shocking statistic was that between October 2019 and November 2022, Styles had zero victories in singles matches on a PLE. 2024 has firmly fixed what was a depleting career and image.

AJ Styles Has Been Involved In Some Of WWE’s Best Feuds

AJ Styles Helped Further The Momentum Of LA Knight & Cody Rhodes

• LA Knight beat AJ Styles at WrestleMania 40.
• AJ Styles helped kick off Cody Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Championship reign.
• AJ Styles had an angle where he faked his retirement.

Styles immediately set his sights on LA Knight, becoming jealous at his success and angry at the opportunities he was being given. After they both lost in their shot at the top title at the Royal Rumble, Styles and Knight engaged in one of the most fun and entertaining feuds on the Road to WrestleMania. In what felt like a rare non-title feud to be featured, they both did great in their character work, had unique segments, and delivered a very enjoyable match at WrestleMania 40. WWE has sometimes been criticized for their use of LA Knight, but his feud with Styles worked wonders to continue his momentum and feature him in the spotlight.

Despite losing to LA Knight at WrestleMania, AJ Styles moved on to a feud with Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. Although this was a very predictable match going in, the pair absolutely tore the house down at Backlash: France, resulting in Rhodes’ title reign kicking off in style. There was a lot of pressure on Rhodes to deliver after being the one to dethrone Roman Reigns, and AJ Styles ensured that he lived up to expectations. When Styles faked retirement and added another chapter to their rivalry, it was widely accepted and encouraged by fans, just going to show how well the pair gel. Much like he did for LA Knight, Styles has been the key to ensuring that Rhodes keeps his momentum.

SmackDown’s Match Quality Has Been Saved By AJ Styles

Raw Has Become The Better Wrestling Brand

• SmackDown has become promo heavy.
• AJ Styles has been involved in more strong TV matches than anyone.
• The Phenomenal One has been vital to the blue brand this year.

In 2024, Monday Night RAW has been the brand to go to if you want to see great in-ring work in WWE. SmackDown, with less weekly time and more of a focus on promos, has not had a whole load of great matches. However, AJ Styles has been the consistent presence who has ensured that SmackDown has some good matches at the very least. Styles’ great matches this year have included a triple threat match including Randy Orton and LA Knight, another triple threat featuring Kevin Owens and Rey Mysterio, and singles matches against Orton, Knight, and Drew McIntyre.

These matches have unarguably been amongst the best on SmackDown in 2024, which is even more of a reason as to why he has been the MVP of the brand. SmackDown has featured several big stars and new names, but Styles has been the man to hold things together under the surface, and he must be commended on the strong year and resurgence he has had.